Be Your Everything
Cancelled Plans
FIRST OFF: THIS STORY HAS 20 RECCS AND 50 SUBS AND I'M REALLY HAPPY ABOUT IT SO THANKS FOR THAT.
Also... I'm sorry. (;
- - -
6 in the morning and Alice couldn’t sleep. It was Saturday and the news was playing on the TV while she cradled a steaming cup of tea in her lap. It was drizzling outside and she was absently watching the droplets slide down the window glass when something on the TV caught her eye. She turned her full attention to it and gaped – her mother’s face was on the screen. She turned the volume up to full and listened intently.
“The body of thirty-five year old Elizabeth Michaelson was found in her suburban home late yesterday morning. Bludgeoned to death with a cooking pan, she was found on the kitchen floor by a concerned neighbour.
No word on her 19-year-old daughter, who we have been informed, was living with the victim and the victim’s husband. It is believed that Elizabeth’s husband is responsible for her death, though he hasn’t been seen since the incident allegedly occurred. More news as we hear it.”
It took Alice more than a few seconds to process. She was staring blankly at the blaring TV that was now showing a story about surfing guinea pigs. The words were blurring together in her mind, flashing before her eyes in a haze of confusion.
“Why’s the TV up so loud?” Harry stepped out from his bedroom, scratching his stomach and yawning. Alice didn’t turn around or respond. She didn’t show that she’d heard him at all. “Alice?” he ventured, cautiously this time. He padded barefoot around to the front of the couch. He hardly recognized the girl in front of him – her eyes were blank and emotionless and she visibly hadn’t registered that Harry was standing in front of her. Picking up the remote, though keeping his eyes on her, he turned the volume way down. “What’s happened?” He tried again, resting a hand on her arm.
At the contact her eyes finally flickered to him. She didn’t speak, and the look on her face didn’t change. She honestly didn’t know what she was feeling. Surely her tired brain had made the whole thing up. But it was still flashing on the bar at the bottom of the screen. So, she pointed. She pointed at the bottom of the screen where she was seeing over and over that her mother was dead.
He only had to switch his glance from Alice to the screen for a little over 5 seconds before he was climbing onto the couch next to her, placing her mug onto the floor next to the couch, and wrapping his arms tightly around her. For the first minute or two she was stiff. Then it happened all at once. Her whole body was shaking with the force of her sobbing. The numbness was melting away, but it was being replaced by blinding pain. She could feel her insides clenching in on themselves and she couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were empty and she couldn’t suck any more air into them.
When Harry began rubbing his hand over her back she felt herself relax a little. His touch was the only thing her body would respond to and, even through all her tears and grief, she was inexplicably glad he was there.
Two hours later and Alice still hadn’t spoken a word. The TV was off now and Harry was worried about her. She was still lying in his arms, and if he couldn’t see her wide open eyes in the TV screen’s reflection he would have thought she was asleep. In fact, he wished she was asleep. Maybe then she’d feel a little better. Maybe she could dream that it had never happened and be happy for an hour or two. He started stroking Alice’s hair as he laid his head back on the arm of the couch and closed his eyes.
Harry felt oddly empty when he woke. Hadn’t he had something in his arms before he’d fallen asleep? He jolted upright so quickly his head spun. Where was Alice? He gave the room a once-over and deduced that she was not there. Jumping to his feet, he raced to her room – the door was closed. It had been open when he’d walked out earlier, he was sure of it. Cracking the door open a little, he saw her lying on her side on the bed. She still wasn’t asleep, but at least she’d moved. Apparently she hadn’t seen the door open, because she didn’t move. Her eyes stayed focussed on a framed photo on her bedside table – a picture that Harry had helped her print off from her phone’s memory. It was a snapshot of Alice and Liz, smiling. Alice had told him that she was 15 in the picture, though it was hard to tell. She still looked so young.
He didn’t bother saying anything. She needed this time to be alone and Harry was going to respect that. So he shut the door without and sound and crept along the hallway to his own room. He checked the time on his phone that was charging next to his bed. 10AM. Looking at his phone reminded him of something else – Alice had promised El and Dani that she’d be at El’s house tonight. He knew she’d forget, so he dialled Dani’s number and waited on an answer.
After 4 rings, she picked up. “Haz! What’s up?”
“Er... I’ve had to call on Alice’s behalf. Something’s happened and she’s not really up to going.”
There was a small pause before she replied. “Sounds serious. Is she okay?”
“Physically, yes. Mentally, not so much.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not at this point. I’ll keep in touch with you, but she won’t be coming tonight.”
“All right. Tell her I hope she feels better soon.”
I doubt that. “Will do. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Don’t be a stranger!”
And with that the two hung up. Harry chucked his now fully charged mobile onto his bedcovers and sat down, letting his face fall into his hands. This was a disaster. He thought it would be best to tell the police that Alice was fine and living in London so they didn’t search for her – she was old enough to live wherever she wanted so it was the logical thing to do. But he wouldn’t do that without her knowing. He would wait until she wanted to talk to him, though he wasn’t holding his breath on that happening anytime soon.
Also... I'm sorry. (;
- - -
6 in the morning and Alice couldn’t sleep. It was Saturday and the news was playing on the TV while she cradled a steaming cup of tea in her lap. It was drizzling outside and she was absently watching the droplets slide down the window glass when something on the TV caught her eye. She turned her full attention to it and gaped – her mother’s face was on the screen. She turned the volume up to full and listened intently.
“The body of thirty-five year old Elizabeth Michaelson was found in her suburban home late yesterday morning. Bludgeoned to death with a cooking pan, she was found on the kitchen floor by a concerned neighbour.
No word on her 19-year-old daughter, who we have been informed, was living with the victim and the victim’s husband. It is believed that Elizabeth’s husband is responsible for her death, though he hasn’t been seen since the incident allegedly occurred. More news as we hear it.”
It took Alice more than a few seconds to process. She was staring blankly at the blaring TV that was now showing a story about surfing guinea pigs. The words were blurring together in her mind, flashing before her eyes in a haze of confusion.
“Why’s the TV up so loud?” Harry stepped out from his bedroom, scratching his stomach and yawning. Alice didn’t turn around or respond. She didn’t show that she’d heard him at all. “Alice?” he ventured, cautiously this time. He padded barefoot around to the front of the couch. He hardly recognized the girl in front of him – her eyes were blank and emotionless and she visibly hadn’t registered that Harry was standing in front of her. Picking up the remote, though keeping his eyes on her, he turned the volume way down. “What’s happened?” He tried again, resting a hand on her arm.
At the contact her eyes finally flickered to him. She didn’t speak, and the look on her face didn’t change. She honestly didn’t know what she was feeling. Surely her tired brain had made the whole thing up. But it was still flashing on the bar at the bottom of the screen. So, she pointed. She pointed at the bottom of the screen where she was seeing over and over that her mother was dead.
He only had to switch his glance from Alice to the screen for a little over 5 seconds before he was climbing onto the couch next to her, placing her mug onto the floor next to the couch, and wrapping his arms tightly around her. For the first minute or two she was stiff. Then it happened all at once. Her whole body was shaking with the force of her sobbing. The numbness was melting away, but it was being replaced by blinding pain. She could feel her insides clenching in on themselves and she couldn’t breathe. Her lungs were empty and she couldn’t suck any more air into them.
When Harry began rubbing his hand over her back she felt herself relax a little. His touch was the only thing her body would respond to and, even through all her tears and grief, she was inexplicably glad he was there.
Two hours later and Alice still hadn’t spoken a word. The TV was off now and Harry was worried about her. She was still lying in his arms, and if he couldn’t see her wide open eyes in the TV screen’s reflection he would have thought she was asleep. In fact, he wished she was asleep. Maybe then she’d feel a little better. Maybe she could dream that it had never happened and be happy for an hour or two. He started stroking Alice’s hair as he laid his head back on the arm of the couch and closed his eyes.
Harry felt oddly empty when he woke. Hadn’t he had something in his arms before he’d fallen asleep? He jolted upright so quickly his head spun. Where was Alice? He gave the room a once-over and deduced that she was not there. Jumping to his feet, he raced to her room – the door was closed. It had been open when he’d walked out earlier, he was sure of it. Cracking the door open a little, he saw her lying on her side on the bed. She still wasn’t asleep, but at least she’d moved. Apparently she hadn’t seen the door open, because she didn’t move. Her eyes stayed focussed on a framed photo on her bedside table – a picture that Harry had helped her print off from her phone’s memory. It was a snapshot of Alice and Liz, smiling. Alice had told him that she was 15 in the picture, though it was hard to tell. She still looked so young.
He didn’t bother saying anything. She needed this time to be alone and Harry was going to respect that. So he shut the door without and sound and crept along the hallway to his own room. He checked the time on his phone that was charging next to his bed. 10AM. Looking at his phone reminded him of something else – Alice had promised El and Dani that she’d be at El’s house tonight. He knew she’d forget, so he dialled Dani’s number and waited on an answer.
After 4 rings, she picked up. “Haz! What’s up?”
“Er... I’ve had to call on Alice’s behalf. Something’s happened and she’s not really up to going.”
There was a small pause before she replied. “Sounds serious. Is she okay?”
“Physically, yes. Mentally, not so much.”
“Should I be worried?”
“Not at this point. I’ll keep in touch with you, but she won’t be coming tonight.”
“All right. Tell her I hope she feels better soon.”
I doubt that. “Will do. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Don’t be a stranger!”
And with that the two hung up. Harry chucked his now fully charged mobile onto his bedcovers and sat down, letting his face fall into his hands. This was a disaster. He thought it would be best to tell the police that Alice was fine and living in London so they didn’t search for her – she was old enough to live wherever she wanted so it was the logical thing to do. But he wouldn’t do that without her knowing. He would wait until she wanted to talk to him, though he wasn’t holding his breath on that happening anytime soon.